A bit of history and some “did you know?” type information for this Friday before the Memorial Day weekend.

Entrance to the Roanoke City Public Library

Downtown, near the entrance to the Roanoke City Public Library, is a bell.

Or, the monument of a bell.

Bell near Roanoke City Public Library

Even if you ride past in a car along Jefferson Street and look over (just across the street from the Patrick Henry Hotel) you can’t miss it.

According to the inscription on a plaque in front, the entire monument was built to acknowledge a ship that was named for the City of Roanoke. A ship called the USS Roanoke.

I conducted a Google search for more information about the USS Roanoke and yielded this article from Wikipedia.

I don’t know about you but I never knew this, and now we both do.

Have a great holiday weekend!

I never knew this existed, did you?

In Elmwood Park there is a monument dedicated to the mayor’s of Roanoke over the years. You can also see it from the road along Elm Avenue near the intersection with Williamson Road.

Roanoke Mayor's Monument in Elmwood Park.

It’s a very nice display all on a slightly raised platform, and with a star made of bricks at the base.

Original inscriptions of early mayors (back to when Roanoke was known at Big Lick) are still visible on the actual stone monument. I suppose in recent years a new set of markers was placed at the base on top of the bricks.

And it’s here that each mayor of Roanoke has their name and term listed, from the beginning all the way to current.

A series of plaques around the base of the monument list all of Roanoke's mayors and terms.

In the downtown area, on the side of Jefferson Street (and in front of the Roanoke City Public Library), you will find a historical marker.

There are of course other markers in the area, but this one is unique in that it gives a brief but succinct overview of Roanoke’s history.

Did you know that Roanoke was originally known as “Big Lick”?

Below is the inscription from the front and back of the marker. Photos of the actual marker are at the bottom of the post.

Roanoke

The first village here, at Pate’s Mill and Tavern on Evans’ Mill Creek, was called Big Lick for nearby salt marshes. In 1939 it was laid off as the town of Gainesborough. After the coming of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad (later N. & W.) in 1852, another village sprang up about the old Stover House that was also named Big Lick. Gainesborough became known as Old Lick.

In June, 1884, General Hunter passed here retreating from Lynchburg. In 1874 Big Lick was incorporated. In 1881, with the junction of the New Shenandoah valley Railroad with the N. & W., rapid growth began. In 1882 the name was changed to Roanoke; in 1884 it was incorporated as a city. In 1909 the Virginian Railroad operated its first train. In recent years Roanoke became the third city of Virginia.

Noke Novelties are interesting aspects, picturesque moments, and other quaint nuances of or about the Roanoke area.

Tucked away in-between a couple of relatively quiet neighborhoods, and still visible and easily accessed from I-581, is a higher education system I think Roanoke is fortunate to have in it’s backyard. 

And, we as residents are also equally fortunate I think. This is how the school helped me.

I actually went there, twice.

Originally, I attended VWCC after highschool and until transferring to Radford University. But, after I finished the B.S. degree (English major) at RU, I found myself working (and liking working) in a totally different field. So, I went back to school mostly in night classes and finished an A.A.S in Mechanical Engineering in 2006.

I even have the choice to continue education and obtain a 4-year degree in Engineering at Old Dominion University, but all on the campus of VWCC via distance learning.

That’s pretty neat.

Finding the time to do everything is a little more difficult!

What are your experiences attending VWCC?

Noke Novelties are interesting aspects, picturesque moments, and other quaint nuances of or about the Roanoke area.

A few weeks ago, I proposed a question on Noke News as to the origin of a fountain that sits along Salem Avenue and at the intersection with Market Street.

I didn’t receive any responses to the question at the time, and until now have not been able to look into it and provide an answer on my own.

However, Tom Angleberger with The Roanoke Times provided an answer to the question in his latest (7/14/08) column titled “What’s On Your Mind?”

Here’s an excerpt:

Luckily, P.J. Grubb, a mechanical supervisor for Roanoke’s city government, was able to put it all together for us.

“As far back as I can remember the fountain was originally put in to water peoples’ horses while riding in downtown Roanoke some time back at the turn of the century,” he explained.

Officially, the fountain is still there for the police horses, but, with residential life growing downtown, it’s getting some new users.

“It seems that some of the people that live in various condos downtown also use the fountain to water their dogs while walking them.”

As a result of these findings, I’m happy to include this neat little historic piece on the list of Noke Novelties.

Noke Novelties are interesting aspects, picturesque moments, and other quaint nuances of or about the Roanoke area. 

There is a small but significant memorial just off of Wiley Drive and in the vicinty of Smith Park (a park I visit and write about in a previous post).

Reading from the face of the memorial:

Remembering those volunteers who responded on September 11, 2001 and honoring all volunteers who build better communities.

This marker is something else I noticed when exploring the Roanoke River Greenway. But, instead of a brief mention in one of the Exploring Roanoke posts, I think it is deserving of it’s own post.

The memorial was created by the Volunteer Roanoke Valley Council of Community Services, and is also partly surrounded by some foliage and shrubbery for distinction.

Noke Novelties are interesting aspects, picturesque moments, and other quaint nuances of or about the Roanoke area.

Many if not all of us have ventured up to the Mill Mountain Star at one time or another. It’s very difficult to miss for residents and tourists alike.

But, there’s another marker in the form of a memorial that is just at the entrance to the Mill Mountain Park.

For years before I have traveled to the Star and had not even noticed the memorial, but on this particular visit I made a point to stop and check it out.

It’s a memorial for J.B. Fishburn and is best described by reading from words on the face:

Honoring

1865 J.B. Fishburn 1955

Pinoneer citizen, Publisher, Banker, Businessman, and Philantropist, he watched the tiny hamlet of Big Lick grow into the thriving town and city of Roanoke. He founded the Times-World Corporation, helped organize the First National Exchange Bank of Virginia and participated in numerous business and industrial ventures, ever keeping in mind the recreational needs of people.

Through his generosity and vision, he and his family contributed Mill Mountain, South Roanoke, Wasena, Lakewood, and Norwich parks to the City and Fairystone State Park to the Commonwealth of Virginia. In a final bequest he willed his lovely home and grounds “Mountain View” to the City for its park and recreational headquarters.

It was his dream to link the Blue Ridge Parkway with Mill Mountain, thus enabling Parkway visitors to share with local citizens the matchless view and to create here a great park for posterity.

In his memory and in appreciation for his many gifts, this scenic road joining the park and the city was gratefully dedicated as

THE J.B. FISHBURN PARKWAY
May 17, 1971

Erected by the City of Roanoke, June 24, 1975
*****

J.B. Fishburn Memorial on Mill Mountain, near the entrance to Mill Mountain Park. The road in the background leads up to the Star.

Noke Novelties are interesting aspects, picturesque moments, and other quaint nuances of or about the Roanoke area.

During my travels and as gathering information for another future post, I came upon this marker at the corner of Colonial Avenue and McNeil Drive (which borders a side of Virginia Western Community College).

I’m not sure when the small marker was established, but I don’t remember seeing it during my years as a student at VWCC.

The marker is for Samuel P. McNeil, and it also gives explanation behind his involvement in area which resulted in the nearby road with the same name.

It reads:

McNeil Drive is named in honor of Samuel P. McNeil, the leading sponser and founder of WBRA and educational television for the City of Roanoke and Southwest Virginia. Mr. McNeil served as chairman of WBRA for 25 years from its beginning in 1966 until he retired in 1992. He was a co-founder of the local chapter of the fellowship of Christian athletes. He also served as chairman of the Roanoke City School Board from 1970 to 1976.

And at the end of McNeil Drive is the entrance to Blue Ridge PBS, which serves Roanoke as WBRA-TV.

Entrance to Blue Ridge PBS at the end of McNeil Drive

I think Roanoke is fortunate to have such programming options. And I do remember watching television shows on this station while growing up and, if I ever have children, I would encourage them to do the same.